Clown Doctors in NYC

In the clown doctors in NYC article, it begins by comparing clown doctors and regular medical doctors in pediatric hospitals in New York City, which have obvious differences. Clown doctors try to help children heal and feel more comfortable by happiness and laughter while medical doctors treat them medically. The clown doctors in the CCU were used to help distract children during tedious procedures or medical testing with their costumes and tricks/jokes. In the article, clowns were compared to shamans. They called them the “shaman healers of the West.” The author describes and compares the clothes and make up the clowns wear as well as their jokes and tricks to rituals of shamans in other countries around the world. Although the clowns do not provide medical healing per say, the author portrays that the clowns help the children as well as parents cope with the hardships of being hospitalized through making the experience more enjoyable.

The healers in the article were the clowns and actors that were trained to provide this type of care. This includes the Clown Care Unit, also referred to as the CCU, and the Clown Ministry. The clown healers are trained before being allowed into the pediatric hospitals in NYC to provide care to the children. Many people look up to and appreciate the work of these healers, so I would consider them to have a high social standing. They are viewed as very helpful and amusing for doctors, parents, and the children as well, even though they do not provide physical care to the patients. Clown doctors distract the patients with their costumes and tricks while the patient may be experiencing a normally uncomfortable environment. The clown doctors work with regular medical doctors in New York City to provide optimal, excellent care as well as comfort for sick, scared children in pediatric hospitals.